GENERAL COMMITTEE

 

 

 

 

 

TO:

Mayor and Members of Council

 

 

 

 

FROM:

Allan Seabrooke, Commission Lead Strategic Services

 

 

 

 

PREPARED BY:

Mavis Urquhart, Manager, Environmental Leadership

 

 

 

 

DATE OF MEETING:

June 16, 2008

 

 

 

 

SUBJECT:

Report on Spending of 2007 Markham Council Grants for Rouge Park

 

 

 

 

RECOMMENDATION:

That the staff report entitled “Report on Spending of 2007 Markham Council Grants for Rouge River Watersheds”, dated June 16, 2008, be received;

 

AND THAT a cheque in the amount of $25,000 be issued to the Rouge Park Alliance for their programs in 2007, as outlined in this report.

 

AND THAT the Rouge Park be requested to follow the reporting and documentation guidelines for 2008, as outlined in this report.

 

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of how the $25,000 grant, approved through the annual budget process to fund capital projects in the Rouge Park was spent and what projects were undertaken in Markham as a result of the grant.

BACKGROUND:

During the 2003 budget process, Council recommended that a grant of $25,000 be provided annually for Rouge Park Watershed improvements conditional on matching funds from the organization and a summary report being submitted to Committee, outlining how the grants were spent. Council through the budgeting process committed $25,000 in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007 to projects located in the Rouge Park. This report identifies the 2007 program for the Rouge Park that has now been completed.

Council at its Meeting of March 4, 2008 directed that the ongoing Town of Markham Rouge Park grant of $25,000 per year be directed to implementation of the Little Rouge Corridor or the Bob Hunter Memorial Park, and that the Rouge Park continue to provide the Town with a year end report on expenditure of the grant.

 

DISCUSSION:

Reporting Requirement

To ensure accountability of the annual grant, the Rouge Park is required to submit a written report to the Town of Markham through the Manager, Environmental Leadership detailing how the grant was spent in accordance with the grant conditions.  The report is required to include, but was not limited to:

·                    Location of the Project

·                    Monitoring

·                    Future requirements for the Project

 

While this basic reporting requirement has been fulfilled by the Rouge Park over the years, the Rouge Park reports could go further in accounting and detailing the grant expenditure. The Town’s grant is often reported lumped in with other funding sources making it difficult to determine what specific projects the funding is being used for. Staff therefore recommend that the Town’s contribution be specifically ear-marked for projects outside the normal project allocation fund thereby creating a clearer accounting and auditing of the projects.

 

Staff recommend that future expenditure summary reports for the Rouge Park grant include the following information:

 

  • Location and description of the project with accompanying site plans and photographs;
  • Identification of participating non-profit groups;
  • Detailed project expenditures including receipts;
  • Monitoring program;
  • Future requirements for the project.

 

Finally, Staff recommend that the Town’s contribution to specific projects be recognised by the use of appropriate signage which would acknowledge the Town as the funding partner for projects to which the Town’s contribution has been utilized.  

 

The improved and detailed reporting requirements should be implemented for the next grant allocation (2008).

 

2007 Rouge Park Grant Report

The attached report Summary (Appendix 1) from Rouge Park staff describes the projects undertaken in 2007 and the location of the projects. The $25,000 grant was used in part for:

 

·        Restoration of Natural Habitats - including planting programs at Donald Cousens Parkway Site and 16th Avenue site;

·        Completion of Preparations for restoration of Natural Habitats at 3 sites.

·        Planning for future restoration sites.

 

Other Funding Programs in the Rouge

It should be noted that 10,000 Trees for the Rouge Valley also received $5000.00 from the Markham Environmental Sustainability Fund in Spring 2007 for their planting initiative at Ninth Line and Don Cousens Parkway.  Funding in the amount of $7000.00 was approved for the 2008 event in the same location.

 

The Financial Summary (within Appendix 2) shows that $25,000 from the Town was spent together with other sources and community “in kind” volunteer hours. The estimated value of the work is shown to be $264,000.

 

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

As per Council resolution of March 4, 2008, the $25,000 grant is to be targeted specifically for the implementation of the Little Rouge Creek Corridor and the Bob Hunter Memorial Park.

Funds have been dedicated for these initiatives in a capital account from taxed based funding. The attached financial summary from Rouge Park representatives provides details on the projects and illustrates that the condition of procuring matching funding has been satisfied.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

Finance, Planning, Engineering and Operations staff have been consulted in the preparation of this report.

ATTACHMENTS:

Appendix 1 – Letter from Lewis Yeager

Appendix 2 – Rouge Park Project Summary 2007

 

 

 

 

Allan Seabrooke, Commission Lead

Community and Fire Services